SEO Awarehttp://seoaware.com
Internet Marketing That WorksTue, 03 Mar 2015 21:06:20 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.3Need Content Marketing Ideas?http://seoaware.com/2012/09/07/content-generation-ideas/
http://seoaware.com/2012/09/07/content-generation-ideas/#commentsFri, 07 Sep 2012 16:33:25 +0000http://seoaware.com/?p=6507I have recently started writing some articles for Copypressed, a blog focused on helping business begin the process of content generation and maintain their content marketing successfully, long-term. The blog offers fantastic information, tips and ideas to help you create effective content and they offer long-term strategies that will help your company save time and money. I suggest you check the blog out often and use the information to avoid the pitfalls we often see in content marketing.

]]>http://seoaware.com/2012/09/07/content-generation-ideas/feed/0A Personal Post, The Roller Coaster of the Past Yearhttp://seoaware.com/2012/09/06/personal-post-roller-coaster-year/
http://seoaware.com/2012/09/06/personal-post-roller-coaster-year/#commentsFri, 07 Sep 2012 00:10:21 +0000http://seoaware.com/?p=6499I don’t write personal posts often, but I feel compelled to write this one just in case my experience can help some of my friends, clients or even just random people searching the web.

Let me also say that if you read this and decide that attacking me is a good idea or try to place judgments your comment will never be acknowledge or published.

My Child

My youngest son is now 9. Since kindergarten I was told my kid was incredibly smart and irritatingly lazy. This calm and lovely child didn’t do so well in school. This surprised me because I knew he had an amazing capacity for memory and adult conversation. I also knew he had a temper and an intenseness I had only seen once before (in myself as a child).

My oldest son is 11 ½ years older than his younger brother. So when my 2 year old would play a video game with his 14 year old brother and could remember the location of his favorite “20 extras” (out of 30) in the settings without being able to read I knew he was amazing. However this didn’t transfer into school. Teachers didn’t understand why he was agitated, why he refused to do work he didn’t like or why he argued points that most kids would never consider.

In second grade his teacher kept telling me he was so smart, but just wasn’t interested in working; she kept saying he needed to focus better. His birthday is in July and because many parents held kids back (for all the reasons parents do today) he was often more than a year younger than most, but he was able to understand and memorize the work…he just didn’t want to do it.

Last Summer

I had surgery last Summer and I rested a lot. I was able to watch him more closely and realized that his focus was not there. I contacted a respected Psychologist and asked her for some help. She tested him for all learning disabilities, IQ and ADHD. The good news was his IQ was extremely high (I don’t even tell people because I think they will not believe me), but he had severe ADHD (attentiveness being the problem, not hyperactivity).

I had my son tested in a machine that scientists at Harvard (I believe) created. My son can focus for 2-3 seconds max and then you lose him. I paid an arm and a pinky toe, but I made sure the diagnosis was correct.

Both my degrees are in the psych field so I thought I could handle this. Guess what? Severe ADHD is not easy.

Guilt

When you finally realize that your child’s behavior has been completely normal for someone with a high IQ and ADHD you aren’t really relieved. There is a tremendous amount of guilt. I punished this child because the teachers recommended it…kids have to learn to do their work. This is true, unless they just can’t. Kids don’t need to question the whys of everything and argue with teachers and adults they say…respect and all. I understood the recommendations of educators. I just didn’t understand him. His mind runs circles around many adults I know. (He is now learning how to question, when to question and how to not offend.)

I told the psychiatrist that I felt awful that I didn’t see the attention issue sooner and he said that I shouldn’t because most people don’t get it until their kids are doing horribly in college (remember this for later). He said severe cases are picked up in elementary school around the age we caught it. I still felt awful.

Last year from I would say August through October I was extremely depressed because I felt like a horrible parent. I, more than anyone, should have known because I had a degree in psych, right? Well, here is what I know now. If you don’t get educated on just ADHD you won’t get it. If you can’t observe it un-medicated and medicated you won’t get it. I have learned so much this year.

Roller Coaster of Meds

My son showed symptoms of anxiety as well and ADHD meds tend to increase anxiety so medications were chosen carefully. At first he seemed much happier, but he didn’t sleep for two weeks and then the anxiety attacks started. Cross off med #1 and jump on the coaster. We had meds that made him sick, gave him bathroom issues, made him tired, didn’t allow him to sleep, thirsty, hungry, not hungry, dizzy, turned him into a zombie, sad, angry…the list goes on and on. (This isn’t the case for everyone; we were just unlucky?)

From last August until August of this year my child has been through hell with an up and down roller coaster of meds. So why did we keep trying the meds? Because they worked and once my son felt the “focus”, he should have alwayshad, he wanted it so badly that he didn’t want to quit.

He fit in better with the kids and he had lots of friends and he was happier in some ways. He has lived through hell this past year and we have been right there with him. Exhausted, sick and broken-hearted that he just can’t have it as easy as everyone else. Many nights I wanted to go to bed and just cry, but I was out so quick I didn’t get the chance.

The Doctors

Our psychologist is an outstanding person. We were surely blessed by God with her. The 1st psychiatrist was script happy. He would prescribe and prescribe without much concern for what my son went through. I tried to trust him, but eventually I saw that his concern was testing and not what my son needed so we walked away.

If you are ever in our position please watch these doctors closely. Question their motives and fight hard for your kids, because there are doctors who don’t place your child’s best interest at the top of their priority list.

Finally the Light? If it Sticks…

My son’s psychologist went into the school before it started and sat down with all of his teachers and explained how he felt. She explained the low self-esteem from feeling different and judged, she explained the hell he has been through and she explained to them how he deals with things when he can’t focus. His teachers this year have been outstanding, understanding and helpful.

I have to say that when teachers get it and they have a heart that makes a massive difference and can be just as powerful as medications. My son is in a private school, I won’t say which for his safety of course, but I will say that if you are in a situation like ours you have to make sure your school “gets it”.

My son had a rough Summer this year experimenting with two more meds that made him so sick and tired…they just didn’t work. Our new psychiatrist suggested we try Ritalin. I heard all the horror stories and I thought that if this didn’t work we would just forget the whole thing.

For the first time EVER my son is attending school, completing work and getting A’s on just about everything. He finishes his work before the others a lot. He even had the highest grade in the class for the first vocab test…he is doing amazing and he is happy. It is like a miracle, BUT with the happiness comes abdominal pain he has to deal with daily. It isn’t easy, but we are hoping the physical side effects will improve.

My Year

This past year has been exhausting, heart-breaking, educational, and has bonded me with my son in a massive way. He needs an advocate and he needs someone to understand, that is my job. If you ever end up in the same position I am in I can only say to you that I am sorry. It is going to be rough, it isn’t easy for anyone in the family and challenges will keep coming, but you can make it. You just keep pushing even when you are so tired you think you can’t take another step.

Irony

Earlier I mentioned to remember what the doc said about people finding out about ADHD in college. So, it is kind of funny, and also not funny, that in August my older son’s college called about his Summer semester to tell me that they think there is a possible learning disability. My oldest has struggled in college. He always thought he had everything straight, remembered dates…he always got it wrong. They paid for testing for him and shock-shock – he has ADHD! He is now on Adderall. He, like my youngest, is in awe of his new capacity to focus.

Now I have two kids that can’t focus!! But they are great kids. They are my children and I will fight for them until the day that I die.

Many people wondered why I pulled back from clients and took the position of editor at Search Engine Journal. The truth is I am emotionally exhausted and I can’t deal with “client drama”. I have enough drama at the moment. The only clients I work with now are “drama free”.

I get up at 6:30 and I don’t stop until midnight or beyond. I work with clients, edit for SEJ, interact with the geeks on Twitter, I take care of my son, I am active in his schooling, I take care of the family stuff and when I have 5 minutes I go kiss a tiger or two. I don’t know what day it is most of the time, but I am sure at some point life will get easier.

At this moment I am thrilled to have what most people take for granted, a child that can go to school, do his work and be so proud of himself for getting a good grade.

If you haven’t heard from me in the last 6 months to a year and don’t know why, please scroll to the top and read again :-). To my lovely SEO’s, geeks and Twitter friends, if you ever think ADHD might be an issue for your kid please give me a call. You will need someone and I am here if you need me

]]>http://seoaware.com/2012/09/06/personal-post-roller-coaster-year/feed/0@Pubcon 2012, Why You Should Be Therehttp://seoaware.com/2012/09/04/pubcon-2012/
http://seoaware.com/2012/09/04/pubcon-2012/#commentsTue, 04 Sep 2012 21:10:51 +0000http://seoaware.com/?p=6489For years I have wanted to attend Pubcon, but as a mother leaving town is not always easy. I will be attending this year and I will be totally honest and tell you that I am terrified of flying. I don’t even like looking at planes, yet I am going to fly all the way to Vegas just for Pubcon. That is how spectacular it will be this year.

I will also be speaking and participating in an interactive site review. So if you are attending please come by and say “hello!”. If you would like to attend and haven’t bought a ticket yet you can save 20% with this code: rc-5514320.

There is a lot to learn at Pubcon this year and you will be learning from the best of the best. Check out the large number of sessions available and the fantastic people that will be attending.

I am very excited to see and hang out with all these fabulous and intelligent people. I suggest you attend if you can. There are many great people to meet, business connections to be made and you will walk away with a lot of great information. Pubcon 2012 is a must!

]]>http://seoaware.com/2012/09/04/pubcon-2012/feed/0Don’t Understand Google’s Panda? An Infographic to Helphttp://seoaware.com/2012/02/20/understand-googles-panda-infographic/
http://seoaware.com/2012/02/20/understand-googles-panda-infographic/#commentsMon, 20 Feb 2012 09:00:53 +0000http://seoaware.com/?p=6451Here is an infographic by Single Grain that makes it very easy for anyone to understand who was negatively affected by Panda and what you can do to ensure your site does well.

]]>http://seoaware.com/2012/02/20/understand-googles-panda-infographic/feed/1Some of My Latest Articles on Search Engine Journalhttp://seoaware.com/2012/02/18/latest-articles-search-engine-journal/
http://seoaware.com/2012/02/18/latest-articles-search-engine-journal/#commentsSat, 18 Feb 2012 23:01:14 +0000http://seoaware.com/?p=6440In case you were not aware I am now the managing editor at SearchEngineJournal.com. I am going to list some recent articles I have written on SEJ and list some good posts below that I think could be informative for you.

Recent Posts

My Favorite Video For the Week

]]>http://seoaware.com/2012/02/18/latest-articles-search-engine-journal/feed/0Sharing What Has Changed My Life in a Massive Wayhttp://seoaware.com/2011/12/28/sharing-changed-life-massive/
http://seoaware.com/2011/12/28/sharing-changed-life-massive/#commentsWed, 28 Dec 2011 20:44:58 +0000http://seoaware.com/?p=6379My life has changed a lot in the last two years. Work is great, but on a personal level I have encountered something that has changed my life in a massive way. A lot of people know me in this industry. I can be fun and goofy and I love people. What people don’t know is there was a significant amount of trauma in my childhood that I dealt with every single day. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to get passed these issues, I just couldn’t. However, my life has changed in significant ways and for the better. I feel like I have a purpose and that is to help keep big cats alive, happy and well. I just wanted to share my experience.

How it Started

Two years ago I walked into a place that made me feel like I could breathe. It made me feel alive and that was the Big Cat Habitat and Gulf Coast Sanctuary. They have all kinds of animals, but it was the tigers that gave me peace. Just looking at them gave me peace, but they also made me feel really alive at the same time. I went up to an employee, Meg Ozbirn, and offered to create a new website for them for free. I said I would optimize it and do everything I could to help them succeed. They said yes and what I consider a new life began for me.

While creating the site I had to have pictures taken of many of the animals and had to have names to go with them. That meant I walked with them and took notes. They told me that all the tigers looked different and I thought they were nuts (but now I am shocked that people can’t tell them apart). I got to see the cats more and more and I was in awe of them. I found that just sitting on the floor with them made me feel better and I did a lot of it while I worked on the site.

What I Have Learned

These cats have been raised around humans their entire lives and this goes back 6-7 generations for most of them. They have never lived in the wild and they wouldn’t survive there if you released them. What shocked me is how much they wanted human interaction and how well they responded to it. The habitat owners have made a point to interact with them and make them feel loved and the cats are amazing. I own house cats and they can get mad when you go away for a few days; well the tigers do too. They come to depend on you and how amazing is that? (see video below)

Each and every cat has a completely different type of personality. No two are alike. Some are very happy to see you, many you have to work to earn their trust and some you just say hello to, but don’t get in their space. Kind of like humans. These are wild animals that can easily hurt you by accident and there is a switch in that head of theirs and anyone can turn into prey. As long as they don’t feel threatened by you, you respect their space and act responsible all is fine.

What I Have Gained

I for the first time in my life have a peace that I didn’t have before. I am no longer hounded by unhappy memories and my stress levels are so much lower. In fact, I have dealt with TMJ for a long time and since the cats have not had to deal with as many issues because I believe my stress is lower and I am not clenching my teeth at night.

I also realized that clients were causing so much stress that I wasn’t enjoying work anymore. I said goodbye to a few of them and focused on the cats. I feel like I have been given a new life, I am happier and I am thankful for it. Words can’t express what these cats have done for me.

There is nothing like opening a door to a tiger habitat and having tigers get up excited to see you. The tiger chuffing noise is like a gift each time they greet me with it. They are a gift for just being alive.

I love them all, but I love four cats like they are my kids – Tony, Brutus, Nelson and Clarence. There was another that I was really close with and went to see everyday, but he passed away from liver cancer, but I don’t want to get into that and start getting weepy through WordPress.

What I Want You To Know

Getting involved with anything that will benefit others is a great thing. Could be helping people, associations or animals. Big cats may not be your thing, it could be dogs or birds or reptiles or any other creature. If you are drawn to a certain type of animal (I have had big cat stuff all my life) make an effort to get involved. It will help the animals and will most likely help you as well. If you have dealt with trauma in your life you may find that animals can help you let go of a lot.

Extinction

I also want you to know that there are less than 3,200 tigers left in the wild. Due to poaching and morons there may not be any left when your children have children. Some say there are less than 20,000 lions and some say less than that. Leopards and Cheetahs are in danger of extinction as well. We have to fight for these big cats to stay alive. Visit sites like SaveTigersNow.org and National Geographic and learn how you can help.

Lastly, I have had many people tell me how upset they are that the cats are not free. Someone has to take care of them and there are habitats all around the world fighting to do that. Please don’t attack them and judge them. Help them. We can’t export them because it is against the law. Most habitats take in big cats from people that thought they wanted them as pets, from facilities that can no longer afford to care for them and from abusive situations. They can’t be free in the US, but they can have great habitats with donations.

I also want to thank the owners of the Big Cat Habitat for making my life a lot better and giving me a chance to experience some of the most amazing and beautiful creatures on earth.

Video of Clarence

Clarence does not like it when I talk to anyone else, especially his brother. This is how mad he was after I talked to Bama, his brother. I edited out the lecture on arguing…

All photos have been taken by me and are owned by me – Melissa Fach

]]>http://seoaware.com/2011/12/28/sharing-changed-life-massive/feed/7If I buy AdWords, will that cause my algorithmic search rankings to rise?http://seoaware.com/2011/12/27/buy-adwords-algorithmic-search-rankings-rise/
http://seoaware.com/2011/12/27/buy-adwords-algorithmic-search-rankings-rise/#commentsTue, 27 Dec 2011 19:10:34 +0000http://seoaware.com/?p=6377Google’s Matt Cutts discusses a very common myth I hear often, which is that if you pay for AdWords your site will do better in the rankings.
]]>http://seoaware.com/2011/12/27/buy-adwords-algorithmic-search-rankings-rise/feed/2ZAGG Giving Away an iPad 2 Every Hour on Black Fridayhttp://seoaware.com/2011/11/19/zagg-giving-ipad-2-hour-black-friday/
http://seoaware.com/2011/11/19/zagg-giving-ipad-2-hour-black-friday/#commentsSat, 19 Nov 2011 14:43:21 +0000http://seoaware.com/?p=6365ZAGG offers a variety of iPad / iPhone / iPod accessories, cases and skins. About the contest, “On Black Friday, November 25, 2011, starting at midnight (MST), we’ll be giving away an iPad 2 every hour. 24 iPad 2s over 24 hours. Each hour is a new opportunity to enter the giveaway. So yes, you need to go to the giveaway page each hour and enter.

Entering the giveaway will be simple. To enter, just submit your email address. For additional entries, you can share on Facebook and Twitter. A Facebook share is worth two additional entries and a Twitter share is worth one additional entry.”

]]>http://seoaware.com/2011/11/19/zagg-giving-ipad-2-hour-black-friday/feed/06 Ways to Give Back to Your Clients this Holiday Seasonhttp://seoaware.com/2011/11/15/6-ways-give-clients-holiday-season/
http://seoaware.com/2011/11/15/6-ways-give-clients-holiday-season/#commentsTue, 15 Nov 2011 23:12:37 +0000http://seoaware.com/?p=6362Good clients are a blessing and they do pay us a great deal of money. I think it is a good idea to let clients know you are thinking about them during the holidays, but as we all know choosing a gift can be hard. Here are some inexpensive ideas that allow you to give back to your clients and as a bonus these gifts can help your business as well.

Company Gift Cards – Two Ways to Win

You can get gift cards made for a specific dollar amount, an hour of consulting or whatever you choose. Here are two ways you can use them:

You can give them to your clients to use with your company

You can give them to your clients to use as gifts this holiday season (they can give them to a loved one or their own clients)

Either way you win. With #1 your client gets something for free (we all know how much they love something for free) and you can strengthen or maintain your relationship with them. With #2 you have a really good lead that can easily turn into a client.

Your gift cards can be made of hard plastic like a regular gift card and I recommend a nice design that is not holiday specific because you want to be able to use these cards again. Example, when a client has a birthday, at special events, give-a-ways or on other holidays. Look at them as lead generators, free advertising and a way to give back to your clients.

Custom Flash Drives

Almost everyone need flash drives and they can easily become advertising tools for you. You can have flash drives made that have your logo on them and some can actually be shaped like your logo. Tip, quality and gifts that people can use are successful.

Shirts / Hoodies with Your Logo

Most people I know love t-shirts and even non-nerds still need them for exercising, going to the beach or relaxing. At every conference I have ever been to the the t-shirts are the first to get grabbed. Hoodies are also a great gift and they are a great way to keep warm during the holidays.

When you give any type of shirt you are also getting free advertising. You never know who will see that shirt, so try to include a URL.

Customized Tumblers, Coffee Cups or Water Bottles

These are items that are pretty affordable and we all have to drink out of something. People love creative mugs, bottles and cups. If you choose any thing that has a snap lid you increase the possibility that people will carry the cup with your logo around. Every time this gift is used your business is being advertised. This is another win for both you and the client.

Custom iPad Covers and Sleeves

You have to be careful with this one. People love their iPads and they love having cute/cool covers. Put a lot of thought into this gift idea because you want it to be displayed in someway. Put your name or logo on it, but make it small and do not let it take over the design.

Custom Candy Jars

The great thing about candy jars is that they can be used for anything. You can fill them with candy, nuts, organic pasta, paper clips or something else the client likes. They are also pretty inexpensive, but attractive. They can be used and reused by the client because everyone always needs containers for storage.

This is a great advertising option for you. If you fill these with candy clients tend to just put them out for their clients.

Overall Goal of Holiday Gifts?

Of course you want the client to be happy, but you also want to advertise your business as well. Maintaining a healthy business relationship is really important and this is one simple and affordable way to do give back.

]]>http://seoaware.com/2011/11/15/6-ways-give-clients-holiday-season/feed/0Looking for a Job? Have you tried #Jobhttp://seoaware.com/2011/10/28/job-job/
http://seoaware.com/2011/10/28/job-job/#commentsFri, 28 Oct 2011 03:37:04 +0000http://seoaware.com/?p=6346We all hear about the massive amount of unemployment in the United States and other countries everyday. I have had many people tell me they have searched job sites on the net and had no luck. Tonight I used the hashtag #jobs and have watched the stream for about 30 minutes. The diversity of jobs and locations is amazing. From Saudi Arabia to South Korea to the USA I saw an extraordinary amount of jobs passing so fast I could barely keep up.

If you are looking for a job or know someone that is you may want to search Twitter with #Job. I tried #work and the results were not great, but it may be worth a shot. I know #career is also another term that gives some decent results.

New To Twitter?

If you haven’t used Twitter before just go to Twitter.com and sign up for an account. With an account you can follow some fantastic people and businesses that do nothing but Tweet jobs all day. Once you are a member use the search box at the top and type in “#Job” and also try “Career”.